Reversed promise

Don’t I remember the Liberals saying they were going to deal with power rates when they were elected? Another reversed promise, I guess, says Chronicle Herald letter writer.

2015-10-23T20:46:57+00:00

Don’t I remember the Liberals saying they were going to deal with power rates when they were elected? Another reversed promise, I guess, says Chronicle Herald letter writer.

http://mcneilsmovers.ca/testimonials/326/

Splitting Up Families

"...My whole family is hanging on the verge of having to go away for work and possibly leave this province with the rest of the people before us. Thanks Stephen McNeil for splitting our family up."

- Mary Mackay

2015-11-12T10:18:06+00:00

“…My whole family is hanging on the verge of having to go away for work and possibly leave this province with the rest of the people before us. Thanks Stephen McNeil for splitting our family up.” – Mary Mackay

http://mcneilsmovers.ca/testimonials/splitting-up-families/

Paycheque to Paycheque

It is getting more and more difficult not to live life pay cheque to pay cheque due to the decisions by the Liberal government, saysNikki K.

2015-11-10T09:51:48+00:00

It is getting more and more difficult not to live life pay cheque to pay cheque due to the decisions by the Liberal government, says Nikki K.

http://mcneilsmovers.ca/testimonials/paycheque-to-paycheque/

Disturbing closure

The closure of the Pictou visitor information centre was a disturbing disappointment to us, says New Glasgow B&B owner.

2015-10-25T21:57:42+00:00

The closure of the Pictou visitor information centre was a disturbing disappointment to us, says New Glasgow B&B owner.

unleash the newly-created “Department of Business” on whatever “non-core” public services are left, for further privatization… or elimination

This government has also cut funding to a number of important non-profit organizations and public services, like long-term care, saying that the province can’t afford to fund them. However, McNeil has found the money to give his own staff generous wage increases and has created brand-new, high-paying jobs for select individuals.

The Costs

You work hard and pay your taxes. You deserve to get good public services in return.

But when government privatizes those services, it hands over its responsibility for ensuring quality.

And as all of us learned with Nova Scotia Power, that puts the people who rely on those services at the mercy of large corporations that answer first to their shareholders.

You know what that means: to drive up profits, corporations cut corners, reduce services and lay off workers.

And you end up paying more than you ever paid in taxes, with rate hikes, user fees and extra charges.

Instead of being reinvested in community services and local economies, those profits are taken out of Nova Scotia… along with the jobs they could have supported.

Smaller communities pay the heaviest price. Service cuts, job losses and less money for local businesses hit them hard. And you can see the results in shuttered storefronts and abandoned homes across Nova Scotia.

Special INSIDER deals

In deal after deal, privatization works out great for big corporations… and terribly for the rest of us.

A classic corporate deal is one where a company gives the government a one-time cash payout, then gets a long-term lock on a lucrative public service like the Motor Vehicle Registry, which generates an estimated $100 million in revenue annually. This means that taxpayers will be on the hook for this lost revenue, year after year.

Even when privatization has been a clear failure, the government wants to double down. Case in point: hospital food services. After a private company, Morrison, mismanaged part of the service for years, the government is claiming its losing money (although they won’t disclose their financial records). Their solution? To hand the service over in its entirety to a company like Morrison, which is part of the UK-based Compass Group PLC and reported revenues equal to $35 billion last year.

Moving Reviews

"In March, government floated the idea of outsourcing the operation of its three key registries, covering motor vehicles, land and joint stock companies…. There are so many reasons not to do this, it’s hard to know where to begin…. This registry is one of the better government services, and it makes money through modest fees. Why mess with it? The last thing Nova Scotians need is another government-bestowed monopoly."

"Lately, civil servants who work in rural Nova Scotia are in the provincial government's crosshairs. Over the last few months there have been layoffs in provincial campgrounds and visitor centres and among Community Services workers in Guysborough and Barrington. A Community Services office in Sheet Harbour was also closed.

"Each job lost in rural Nova Scotia is a major blow to its fragile economy. As gas stations, schools, and post offices in rural Nova Scotia disappear, this is not the time for government to kill yet more rural jobs."

"That’s right: they’re going to privatize the DMV. This is horrible policy, an attack on good-paying jobs, the Liberals playing lick-spittle for corporations, and an affront to democracy. Public information should be public…. It is the basis for commerce, for education, for research, for journalism, for voters."

"Given that the Harper government has been much criticized for its lack of openness and transparency, it should be equally unacceptable for the provincial Liberal government to introduce privatization of the registry of motor vehicles (and others) by intrigue and subterfuge… Given that Premier Stephen McNeil has already closed some of the land registry offices, it looks very much like the fix is in on the outsourcing..."

"This isn’t about delivering better service, providing service more efficiently or even saving the government money in the long run. It is about making the books look good, and eliminating as many public sector workers as possible before the next provincial election.

"The decision to privatize hospital laundry services is a major restructuring of our health-care system. It means the loss of about 350 jobs in six communities and the loss of publicly-provided and local laundry services.…The true costs of privatization cannot be verified because 3sHealth and the government of Saskatchewan have not disclosed critical financial information in the business case or its contract with the laundry monopoly. The full cost of the 10-year contract is not known but could be valued at $160 to $200 million and will be paid entirely by public dollars."

"Ontario opened its home-care system to private bidders in the mid-1990s. Private transnational corporations came in and underbid charities and non-profit providers with deep roots in communities. After winning contracts, they reduced home visits to 30- or 60-minute 'products,' and added to the number of clients whom workers see. The amount of time allotted for travel between patients decreased, too, often forcing health workers to choose between leaving early and working without pay."

No Returns

Once our public services are given away, they're gone.

Businesses nearly always insist on long-term privatization deals — contracts ranging from 10 to 30 years are typical. So if a private company does a rotten job delivering that service, there isn't a thing we can do about it.

What's worse, these privatization deals are always accompanied by secrecy and a lack of accountability. The public should be able to find out how the services we pay for are being run. Instead, contracts relating to privatization are kept secret on the grounds of “commercial confidentiality”.

This means you don't get to know any of the essential financial details about privatization — including costs, revenues, service levels and salaries of senior executives.

Kept in the dark and unable to complain about the services our families and communities rely on? That's a lousy deal for Nova Scotians.

Fragile

Privatization has destroyed public services, hit pocketbooks, and put health and safety at risk right across the country:

A new report show that the short-term savings from privatizing Saskatchewan hospital laundry services will be more than eaten up with long-term costs.

In Alberta and British Columbia, privatizing liquor sales resulted in higher prices, lower revenues for government and increased social harm (like crime and underage drinking) compared to Saskatchewan’s public system.

Unbox the Ads! — McNeil's Movers

Unbox the Ads! — Working Hard

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Dear Premier McNeil and Your MLA,

A message to Premier Stephen McNeil:

Nova Scotians didn't vote for your campaign of reckless cuts and privatization. Stop selling off the services and infrastructure our communities rely on to stay strong, and ensure good-paying jobs for future generations of Nova Scotians.